The 2003 CIS football season began on August 29, 2003, and concluded with the

39th Vanier Cup The 39th Vanier Cup was played on November 22, 2003, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, and decided the CIS Football champion for the 2003 season. The Laval Rouge et Or won their second ever national championship by defeating the Saint Mary's ...

national championship on November 22 at the

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, with the

Laval Rouge et Or The Laval Rouge et Or (, ''Red and Gold'') are the athletic teams that represent Université Laval, located in Quebec City, Quebec. Home games are all held in the PEPS indoor and outdoor sports facilities. Varsity teams Laval Rouge et Or teams c ...

winning their second championship. Twenty-seven

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

competed in

CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conf ...

this season, the highest level of amateur play in

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

, under the auspices of

Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the C ...

(CIS).

Awards and records

Awards

Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after the late Hec Crighton - teacher, coach, referee, and author of ...

– Tommy Denison, Queen's *

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...

–

Neil McKinlay Neil McKinlay (born April 25, 1981, in Langley, British Columbia) is a former a Canadian football linebacker for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with the 33rd pick in the fourth round of ...

, Simon Fraser *

Russ Jackson Award The Russ Jackson Award is presented to the U Sports Football player best exemplifying the attributes of academic achievement, football skill, and citizenship and is named in honour of Canadian Football League Hall of Famer and former Ottawa Rough R ...

– Curt McLellan, Queen's * J. P. Metras Trophy – Ibrahim Khan, Simon Fraser * Peter Gorman Trophy – Maxime Gagnier, Montreal

All-Canadian team

First team

Offence

* QB Tommy Denison Queen's * HB

Jesse Lumsden Jesse Lumsden (born August 3, 1982) is a Canadian Olympic bobsledder and a retired Canadian football player, who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. Career Football Lumsden is the son of former CFL fullba ...

McMaster * HB Jarred Winkel Alberta * WR Craig Spear Queen's * WR Gilles Colon Bishop's * IR Brendan Mahoney Simon Fraser * IR J.-Fred. Tremblay Laval * OT Paul Archer Saint Mary's * OT Ibrahim Khan Simon Fraser * OG Derek Armstrong StFX * OG Carl Gourgues Laval * C J.-Francois Joncas Laval

Defence

* DE Justin Shakell Laurier * DE Troy Cunningham Concordia * DT Ryan Gottselig Saskatchewan * DT Nick Comly Acadia * LB Shad McLachlan Acadia * LB

Simon Fraser * LB Mickey Donovan Concordia * CB Pascal Masson Laval * CB Eric Nielsen Acadia * DB Guillaume Roy McGill * DB Sebastian Clovis Saint Mary's * FS Jeremy Steeves StFX

Special teams

* K

Jon Ryan Jonathan Robert Ryan (born November 26, 1981) is a retired Canadian professional football punter. He played college football for the University of Regina Rams, and began his professional career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) after bei ...

Regina * P Anand Pillai McGill

Second Team

Offence

* QB

Mathieu Bertrand Mathieu Bertrand (born December 28, 1977) is a former Canadian football fullback who played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted 44th overall in the 2003 CFL Draft by the Montreal Alouettes, but returned ...

Laval * RB Derek Medler Laurier * RB Les Mullings Saint Mary's * WR Andrew Gallant StFX * WR Shane Ostapowich Regina * IR Andy Fantuz Western * IR Vaughan Swart McMaster * OT Ryan Jeffrey Laurier * OT J.-Francois Ostiguy Laval * OG Dave Forde McMaster * OG Adrian Olenick Saskatchewan * C Jeff Melis Laurier

Defence

* DE Jack Gaudreau Queen's * DE

Dan Federkeil Daniel Hubert Federkeil (born November 9, 1983) is a former professional Canadian football player, having played offensive tackle for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football with the Calgary Dinos ...

Calgary * DT

Matt Kirk Matt Kirk (born June 30, 1981) is a Canadian football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Ottawa Renegades in the 2004 CFL ...

Queen's * DT Miguel Robede Laval * LB Tristan Clovis McMaster * LB Kevin MacNeill Laurier * LB Agustin Barrenechea Calgary * CB Clinton John York * CB Eric Duchene Saskatchewan * DB Kyler White Alberta * DB Reid Smith Acadia * FS Maxime Gagnier Montreal

Special teams

* K Matt Sharpe Acadia * P Mike Ray McMaster

Results

Regular-season standings

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' ''Teams in bold have earned playoff berths.

Top 10

Ranks in ''italics'' are teams not ranked in the top 10 poll but received votes.
NR = Not Ranked. Source:

Championships

The Vanier Cup was played between the champions of the

Mitchell Bowl The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game ...

and the

Uteck Bowl The Uteck Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the easternmost of the two semifinal venues. The Uteck Bowl champion moves on to ...

, the national semi-final games. In 2003, the Uteck Bowl replaced the long-standing Churchill Bowl, which had been competed for since 1989 as a national semi-final game. Along with the Mitchell Bowl, the semi-final games now worked on a fully rotating basis, with the winners of the Canada West conference

Hardy Trophy The Hardy Trophy is a Canadian sport trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Football Conference of U Sports, the country's governing body for university athletics. It is named for Evan Hardy ...

visiting the winners of the Atlantic conference Loney Bowl championship for the Uteck Bowl. The Ontario conference's

Yates Cup The Yates Cup (french: La Coupe Yates) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back ...

championship team hosted the

Dunsmore Cup The Dunsmore Cup (french: Coupe Dunsmore) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the university-level football competition conducted by Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the governing body for all student spor ...

Quebec champion for the Uteck Bowl.

Vanier Cup

Notes

{{CIS football U Sports football seasons CIS football season